By Charlene Chew

Apple iPads will soon make an exciting entrance into Cal English classes, providing teachers with a state-of-the-art approach to education by offering the many advantages of modern technology to today’s students.

Cal recently purchased a four year lease for 37 iPads that will introduce a fresh learning strategy to select English classes starting next school year.

The lease for the iPads cost about $18,000, making each iPad roughly $500 a piece. A protective cart that will safely store and charge the iPads was also purchased for an additional $22,600.

The more than $40,000 price tag for the iPads and protective cart came from a combination of the Academic Boosters Club and school funds.

English co-teachers Catie Hawkins and Cheri Ng will share the iPads in their combined English classes that consist of English 12 students and special education English 12 students.

“We are going to see higher interest and have more inclusion in the classroom,” said Hawkins.  “I think there will be an improvement of student performance.”

The iPads offer a broad range of access to audio books, vocabulary, grammar, articles, and organizational tools that will improve students’ ability to learn material and help them be more successful in school.

Several apps such as iBooks, Story Rope, Splashtop, and Word List 101 serve an abundance of purposes such as vocabulary work, college preparation, student organization, and reading comprehension.

“I have a hard time learning from a text book, so it’d be interesting to try the whole online experience,” said junior Molly Walker. “We’ve lost the hands on perspective as we’ve grown older, so bringing it into the classroom could be a great way to learn.”

Many students are excited about this update in classroom technology.  Despite the appeal of engaging and functional apps, some students have mixed feelings about the iPads.

“I think it’s a waste of money,” sophomore Michelle Kim said.  “We should focus on other things like education and reducing class sizes.”

Several students are skeptical regarding this new endeavor’s practicality and price.

Although seemingly pricey, iPads are actually a much cheaper alternative to the Computers On Wheels (COWs) that are currently used on campus.

“I think there is a fear that technology will be used exclusively, but I see it being used in addition to other traditional methods,” said Hawkins.

Hawkins and Principal Mark Corti are confident the iPads will be very successful tools to students and not just frivolous toys.

“Mr. Corti was the one really behind the use of technology and looked for the money for the funding,” said Hawkins.

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District has recently been pressuring Cal to move forward with technology.

When Corti asked teachers if they had any fresh ideas,  Hawkins and Ng proposed their idea to use iPads in class.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Corti. “This idea came from our teachers, and that’s why it’s going to work.  They’re excited and that leads to success.”

Today’s students are very familiar with technology and Cal is trying to make that an advantage in the classroom.

“We need to be enhancing our learning with tools students use on a daily basis,” said assistant principal Jennifer Tilton, who oversees technology on campus.

Molly thinks that although the iPads and protective cart cost a lot, they will be a good investment toward students’ education.

“We’ve grown up in the era where technology is part of our lifestyle,” said Molly.  “I think it’ll be interesting to see how it helps education.”

Hawkins is looking forward to incorporating the iPads into her current curriculum as well as adding new lessons.

She thinks her students will be very comfortable with the transition into the use of more technology in the classroom because technology is already so much a part of students’ worlds.

“I think [my students] are going to be very excited,” said Hawkins. “I’m excited to move forward with technology.  I’m always excited to do new things, and to see student learning become more active.”

Hawkins also sees the use of technology as good preparation for students’ futures in college and the work force, which is why she chose to use the iPads exclusively with her senior students.

Technology in the classroom is very beneficial as long as it is being used for educational purposes, said Hawkins.

Corti hopes that the success of the iPads in Hawkins’s and Ng’s classes will branch out into other classrooms as well.